Chicken & pasta salad w/ pesto

5 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ pounds Penne or pasta shells
2 cups Diced cooked chicken
½ cup Olive oil, preferably extra virgin
¼ cup Pine nuts or walnuts
2 Garlic cloves
1 cup Pesto sauce (recipe follows)
12 Cherry tomatoes, halved
½ teaspoon Salt
2 cups Fresh basil leaves
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup Romano cheese, grated

Directions

PESTO SAUCE

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain & rinse under cold water until cool; drain well.

PESTO SAUCE: Place oil, nuts, garlic & salt in a blender or food processor. Process until nuts & garlic are finely chopped. Add basil & process until finely chopped. Stir in Parmesan & Romano cheeses.

In a large serving bowl, combine pasta, chicken & pesto sauce. Toss to coat w/ sauce. Garnish w/ tomatoes. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Pesto has traditionally been a summer favorite, when garden fresh basil is in season. Now fresh basil, grown hydroponically in greenhouses, is available in many markets all year. Here pesto is combined w/ pasta & chicken for an Italianate salad that's loaded w/ flavor.

Posted 10-11-93 by: ELIZABETH CHRISTIAN on F-Gourmet Nutritional Information per serving: x Calories, x grams Fat, x% Calories from fat, x mg Cholesterol, x mg Sodium, x g Dietary fiber.

MM by QBTOMM and Sylvia Steiger, GEnie THE.STEIGERS, CI$ 71511,2253, GT Cookbook echo moderator at net/node 004/005 From: Sylvia Steiger (Cooking) Submitted By LAWRENCE KELLIE On 01-09-95

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